Civic body submits Salt Lake plan

KOLKATA: Bidhannagar Municipality recently submitted a host of proposals to chief minister Mamata Banerjee on the beautification and development of Salt Lake. TOI had recently come out with a status report of its own, highlighting areas that needed to be looked at.
The top priority in the civic body's proposals to the CM is to dredge the much-neglected Kestopur canal and beautify its banks.The canal is full of filthy sewerage and drainage water. Both sides are filled with shanties. "The Kestopur canal needs complete revamp with thorough beautification of both banks. A ferry service on a small scale could also be launched," said Ashesh Mukherjee, chairman of the municipality's resource mobilization committee who played a major part in chalking out the proposals.
The next important issue that has been proposed is to set up stands for autos and cycle-rickshaws besides properly managing traffic at the Karunamoyee crossing. "The autos and rickshaws move and stand anywhere they like. Proper stands are required for both. Also, an underground parking lot for small vehicles is required at Karunamoyee," an official said.
Another area is to check the hoarding menace. There are at present around 48 hoardings surrounding City Centre though only 30 of them are approved. "About one third of the existing hoardings should be removed," Mukherjee said.
The conditions of quite a few parks of the township have improved but more such parks could be developed through a public-private partnership project to make them true places for leisure.
Among the other proposals placed by the civic authorities, the Central Park, which is considered to be the township's lungs, could be properly beautified and maintained and the small water bodies inside it could also be developed. The problem of hawkers occupying places on the roads and pavements in many places is also a huge problem that could be sorted out by identifying hawker zones.
The existing Matri Sadan hospital could be properly developed into a holistic hospital where all kinds of treatment could be done and also, primary-level health care centres should come up in many places, mainly in the added areas, the civic authorities have proposed.
Besides, the civic authorities want metalled roads in some areas of the township and the existing vats to be properly maintained so that garbage does not spill out of these. The greenery could also be further increased.
"While preparing the proposals, we have kept in mind our chief minister Mamata Banerjee's ideals to beautify the city like London," Mukherjee said.
If approved by the chief minister, the plan proposals could be implemented by the KMDA.